A study published in Clinical, Surgery and Medicine has found that treating critically injured trauma patients with high-dose vitamin D3 therapy can improve patient outcomes for African American and Hispanic individuals, while slashing healthcare costs by up to $2tr.
The research, conducted by retired trauma surgeon and vitamin D expert Dr Leslie Ray Matthews and his team at the Morehouse School of Medicine, highlights the wide-spanning impact of vitamin D sufficiency in reducing a patient's length of stay in the hospital, as well as the associated cost of treatment.
High-level vitamin D3 supplementation also reduced mortality by 42% — a clinically significant reduction.
To find out more about the research, how vitamin D3 can address healthcare disparities and the Vitamin D3 Protocol, NBR caught up with Dr Matthews.
83% of healthcare disparities are linked to vitamin D3 deficiency
The cruciality of Vitamin D3 in high stress scenarios
Vitamin D3 is one of the most important hormones in the body, regulating more than 3,000 of our 30,000 genes.
It is particularly involved in the control of immune function, as well as the inflammatory response — meaning its deficiency can have profound negative impacts on health.
"Research has demonstrated that vitamin D3 functions as an anti-stress hormone, meaning the body requires higher levels during periods of physiological stress — whether this be from pregnancy, heart attacks, pneumonia, the flu, cancer, traumatic brain injuries or even fractures," notes Dr Matthews.
"Ensuring adequate vitamin D3 levels in patients supports faster recovery, reduces inflammation and strengthens the body's ability to fight disease," he continues. "It can also lower a patient's risk of chronic disease."
"The science behind this is clear: vitamin D3 administration could be a cost-effective and simple strategy to enhance overall health outcomes across the US and further afield," he stresses.
Dr Matthew's research and the Vitamin D3 Protocol
As vitamin D3 is intimately involved in the inflammatory and immune responses, Dr Matthews and the research team at the Morehouse School of Medicine wanted to assess how high-dose vitamin D3 supplementation could impact critically injured trauma patients.
The study focused on outcomes in African American and Hispanic patients, who commonly experience healthcare disparities within the US — especially within the intensive care unit (ICU).
Study participants all had an injury severity score of 15, and the 316 participants were placed into three groups:
- Group 1: 50,000 IU weekly for up to 8 weeks
- Group 2: 50,000 IU daily for 5 days
- Group 3: 50,000 IU daily for 7 days (aggressive treatment)
When observing patient outcomes within these groups compared with patients who received no vitamin D3, "high-dose vitamin D3 supplementation was found to reduce mortality rates, decrease hospital costs and shorten hospital stays in Hispanic and African American patients," states Dr Matthews. 
For those in group 3, the average hospital stay was 6.3 days, while group 1's average stay was 13.2 days. Mortality was down to 6.4% from 11% and the mean cost of a patient's ICU stay went down from $50,934.25 to $24,433.02.
"This is likely because a high proportion of ethnic minority patients in the US have low vitamin D status, as well as a low CD4 cell count, so optimising serum levels to ≥ 40 ng/ml could tackle the healthcare disparities we're currently observing."
Dr Matthews also notes that vitamin D3 could reduce ICU heart attack and stroke cases by 50%, with each heart attack costing around $70,000 in medical expenses.
A similar trend is seen for ventilator-associated pneumonia, with cases reducing by 60% with vitamin D3 supplementation — potentially saving the healthcare system up to $50,000 per case.
Tackling healthcare disparities
Healthcare-related disparities can have a significant impact on patient outcomes, and Dr Matthews' research has revealed that approximately 83% of these disparities are linked to vitamin D3 deficiency.
"Hispanic and African American populations typically have 30% lower vitamin D3 levels compared to Caucasian Americans," comments Dr Matthews.
"My research shows that when vitamin D3 levels are corrected to above 50 ng/mL, the mortality rate across all racial groups drops to just 4%, significantly reducing health disparities."